Of course, it may not be possible, but perhaps it is, and your colleague just doesn’t want to investigate how it might be done. They want to keep doing it “the way it’s always been done.”

I have worked in four public institutions, each in a different state. While there are some state rules, along with some protocols from the governing groups for each state, many of the rules are just ingrained practices that each institution created. Read more.

MANY MANAGERS complain they cannot recruit good people. Perhaps the good people don’t want to work for your organization and don’t apply, and it might not be for the reason you think.

Have you considered lately how hard it is to apply for a position in your workplace? I’m talking about the application process.

The majority of organizations today ask candidates to apply via a website. The applicant is required to upload their résumé, which is a reasonable request. But then they’re asked to essentially replicate the résumé in boxes, including information such as why they left the employer and their ending salary. If you’re a person of a certain age who has held at least 3–5 jobs, it can take several hours to populate the document with information that is most likely on your résumé. Why?

Several years ago, I was on a conference call with human resources directors from a variety of organizations and we discussed this very issue. Read more.

It was a “who does what” list. She showed me that Joyce’s name was beside the item I had asked her to do. I was a bit astonished. While I appreciated that they had figured out all of the tasks, I was a bit concerned that work would not get done when the responsible person was out. Read more.

IN 2000, I attended a conference in Scottsdale, Ariz. One of the highlights of the conference—and of any conference I have ever attended—was the opportunity to climb a mountain. We climbed Camelback Mountain.

Before climbing the mountain, however, we had a presentation from an experienced mountain climber and speaker who was involved in leading excursions to Mount Everest with Executive Master of Business Administration students at a high-profile institution. While they didn’t scale the summit, they did challenge the mountain.

Our speaker used mountain climbing as a metaphor for leadership and teamwork. He inspired us to see the commonalities. Read more.

UMW College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson

College of Business Dean Lynne Richardson’s column in The Free Lance-Star explores ways women and men are treated differently during the interview process. Read RETHINKING RECOMMENDATION QUESTIONS.

DURING the last decade or so, we have been made aware of the disparities between men and women in senior roles in organizations. We have also read many articles and shared anecdotes about how men and women manage and lead differently. And who can forget “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” to explain differences between the genders?

The status quo has been challenged over and over. But we still have work to do.

For example, a female friend in a senior role at another university shared a story with me. Susan served as a reference for another woman. That woman, let’s call her Dana, was a finalist for a senior position at another university. Susan received the reference call from a man named Dave. During the call, Dave asked many of the standard reference check questions and Susan ably responded. And then Dave asked, “Do you think Dana comes across as very likeable?” Susan replied, “Well, what exactly do you mean? Read more.

My advice is to never quit a job until you have a new job, with one caveat: If you feel unsafe in your work, you should quit immediately. Read more.

You’re not feeling too good right now, are you? You’re probably doubting not only this decision, but every one you’ve ever made in your life.

But wait! What is the source of this feedback?

Why would that matter? Because you should always consider the source of feedback before beating yourself up—or, conversely, thinking you’re fabulous. Read more.